Winter Imagery In Edith Warton's Ethan Frome

Ethan Frome, the title character of the novel by Edith Warton, lives in a world that constrains him; one that he is unable to escape from. The prominent use of winter imagery throughout this novel conveys this ideas of detachment and isolation. Winters in Starkfield, the setting for this story, are ones of unimaginable length and vigor. In the prologue, the narrator notices, "(…) when the storms of February had pitched their white tents about the devoted village and the wild cavalry of March winds had charged down to their support; I began to understand why Starkfield emerged from its six months' siege like a starved garrison capitulating without quarter." This demonstrates very clearly the effects of winter on Starkfield, likening it to a
This cold, overbearing force of nature directly reflects Ethan's own overbearing force in his personal life, Zeena. After his mother dies one winter, Ethan attaches himself to Zeena to ease his longing for warmth and compassion and to assure he doesn't spend the winter alone. Our first portrayal of Zeena describes her as "tall and angular" with a "flat breast", "puckered throat" and "projecting wrist"; a harsh depiction akin to that of the previous portrayal of winter. We see this same comparison in the way the couple interacts with each other, that is, with a sense of indifference and hostility. Winter is also a barren season, one that brings no life and instead destroys it. The marriage between Ethan and Zeena is also a barren one, the two having no children, and Mattie, much like the springtime, threatens that oppressive force with her